Yep, if you want the latest Canon Rumors you can get them direct from Canon, at least so far as high end kit is concerned.

The latest example is the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM. Announced in February it was slated for summer delivery (Park Cameras still quote July on their web site as I write) but Canon Rumors are now reporting that the lens won't ship until mid September.

This seems to be a recurrent pattern from Canon. Examples: EOS 1D X (shipping months late), the EF 600mm and 500mm F/4L IS II USM (announced in Feb 2011 and only started shipping this month ) and now the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM.

To be fair some recent lenses have shipped on time. The EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM are examples though neither are "L" lenses. It's also true that the earthquake/tsunami and floods won't have helped but I don't think the timings support those natural disasters as being the sole cause. Rather it seems that Canon is now prepared to pre-announce ultra-expensive kit months and sometimes a year or so ahead of availability. Does this matter? I guess that's very much up to the individual customer.

I've added a poll. No doubt there are other possible reasons but I hope I've identified the three most likely possibilities.

Rumours specifically deal with unannounced activity, so by definition Canon aren't going to give you rumours. That's what other people do when they try to fill in the gaps. If the complaint here is a long gap between first announcement and actual availability, that's fair to a point.

The examples of the two teles, there was an announcement in Feb 2011 stating availability from mid 2011. Ok, that's still a year or so late. How's the 1D X? Announcement Oct 2011, original availability April 2012. So only a few months out there. The suggestion in at least some of those cases are manufacturing delays, although what that is isn't detailed.

But what hasn't been delayed? The 650D and 40mm pancake were available pretty much right from announcement.

So what's going on at the high end? Given the high cost and demanding tolerances I wouldn't be surprised if they needed more time to ensure the quality of the finished item was up to standards. Purely speculation on my part, but particularly for the big lenses, I wonder if fluorite production is somehow related. They need some rather massive crystals for that which can only be grown slowly. The ongoing energy situation in Japan can't be helping.

Would it be better if Canon didn't pre-announce items until available? But if you do lurk around rumour sites, there's an awful lot of people out there who would love a longer term roadmap to help plan equipment purchases.

All said, I'm not sure what to think other than I think some liquid refreshment is in order now!

I just wish Canon had a little more self-discipline and waited until they were more certain of their shipping dates. But perhaps I shouldn't be opining given I lost patience waiting for Canon to even do as little as pre-announce their expected CSC.

I think that's the danger in any industry. If you announce things too early, people are gonna complain when you don't meet the deliverable date. If you keep things too secretive, then the rumour websites will be the main source of information for your customers.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong in manufacturing, it can be the specifications, the design, the manufacturing, the assembly, the availability of parts, etc.

So while I don't blame them for missing the deliverable date on this lens I can't afford anyways, it also hurts how much I will believe Canon's announcements in the future.

A professional with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens might not be on the market for a new lens, but if he knows there's a version II coming out in a few to several months, he might start saving up to buy one when they're ready.

For someone who doesn't have a 24-70, it might seem like a long time to wait (and they might get tempted by the cheaper Tamron 24-70 VC lens), but for someone who already has an EF 24-70 f/2.8L USM and is satisfied with theirs, there's no problem.

And I think that's why they tend to announce pro gear well in advance, but wait till the last moment to announce gear at my level.